Delayed Reaction: Four Lions

Premise: Bumbling homegrown British terrorists attempt to pull off a terrorist attack in London.

 

I don't understand how this movie is a thing. The idea of this movie is doomed to fail. It's a terrorism comedy that uses suicide bombings as punchlines. Take it too seriously and you make a pro-Terrorism movie. Take it too lightly and you undermine the real terrorist attacks. It's the kind of tightrope most filmmakers wouldn't risk attempting. Yet, somehow, Four Lions actually works.

 

I think it starts with the fact that director/co-writer Chris Morris and co-writers Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain come from that Armando Iannucci circle of British comedy. This whole group of comedy writers all work from the idea "what if _____ doesn't actually know what they're doing." Normally they apply it to politicians or businessmen, but they can extend it in a lot of directions. And, when you think of it like that, Four Lions makes a lot more sense. Terrorists have idiots too. I was especially reminded of The Death of Stalin while watching this. Most of the movie is a really dumb comedy. Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, and company are idiots. If they weren't failing at being terrorists, they'd be failing at doing something out. Just as things get too silly though, something sobering happens. Normally, it's someone dying in an explosion; darkly hilarious yet troubling. Sure these people are silly, but silly people can still be dangerous.

 

In general, I appreciate anything that doesn't make Islam a bogeyman. Similar to the excellent Ramy (which isn't anywhere near as morally questionable as Four Lions to be clear), the Muslims in this movie are inconsistent in their beliefs. They are pretty regular people with similar foibles. Granted, the protagonists in this movie have pretty huge sides of their personalities that are dangerous. The movie trusts the audience to figure out how to digest that in these characters.

 

I had no idea Riz Ahmed was around in 2010. I thought I was in early on him when I noticed him in 2014's Nightcrawler. I was under the impression that he was just a British rapper before that. Nope. He's been working for well over a decade. I forget that there's a whole ecosystem of British comedians and actors who don't automatically go on to American shows and movies. Really stellar cast playing very tricky material.

 

Verdict: Strongly Recommend